Mexican Los Angeles Archive is a comprehensive digital collection documenting the Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles County from 1771.
This archive is dedicated to my father and to the young Mexican-American children in Los Angeles who, like me, were never taught about their culture. My father came to L.A. in his teens, and when he passed, the key to my Mexican-ness went with him. Later, spiraling through the Internet Archive, I began finding community-made manuals and curricula from the ’80s and ’90s meant for Mexican-American kids. I had never seen those in middle or high school. It made me wonder why nothing like that exists now, and what it would look like to translate that care into a digital, searchable, map-based form.
What you’re seeing here is an early map—a first pass at gathering the sites, stories, and traces of Mexican and Chicanx life in L.A., the parts that get built, erased, and fought for. It is a work in progress, and still in its early stage. If you know of places, people, or histories that should live here too, please tell me at miaarambula321@gmail.com.
Research Methodology
This archive combines historical records, oral histories, maps, and multimedia materials to create an interconnected narrative of Mexican Los Angeles. Materials are sourced from libraries, archives, community organizations, and other collections.
Credits
Research & Curation: Mia Arambula (independent research)
Special Credits: My sister, friends, family, and the construction team.
Contact
For questions, contributions, or permissions, please contact the research team through the university archives.
Mia Arambula • Los Angeles, California • 2025